When reflecting on the past year, it’s difficult not to focus on all the negatives.  However, if you look beyond racial injustice, political upheaval, and a devastating pandemic, you’ll come face to face with some of the past year’s greatest heroes.

Yes! The good guys are working, harder than ever before, taking up their nonviolent arms and advancing their missions for the benefit of those impacted by the unforgiving events of 2020.  It was a stroke of good timing that, in 2019, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity implemented the ReStore Register Round Up program in an effort to give back to the diverse array of community non-profits and the crucial work they do. In 2019, the Register Round Up program raised over $11,000 for local nonprofits by way of thousands of small, sub-$1 donations from ReStore shoppers rounding up their purchases at the ReStore. The generosity of our shoppers in 2019 far exceeded our expectations.

What an incredible discovery to learn that 2020 Round Up program proceeds exceeded those of 2019 by 54%! Thanks to the generosity of our ReStore shoppers, Asheville Habitat donated over $18,000 to local non-profits serving the needs of our community in 2020. And to add icing on the cake, in the months after Covid-19 descended on our nation, the percentage of shoppers who rounded up their purchases in the ReStore increased by 8%– and held firm from March through the end of the year. In our community, greater need + greater challenge = greater generosity.

The ReStore partnered with eight local non-profits in 2020. As we reached out to learn a little more about how they were able to use the donations, we were blown away by the impact all those sub-$1 donations were making in our community. If you are a shopper who rounds up your purchases in the ReStore, THANK YOU!  The Guardian Ad Litem Association, whose members provide one-on-one support as well as court appointed advocacy to children in Buncombe County’s foster care system, wrote to us saying “…your contributions allow us to bring some joy and normalcy into our children’s lives with items such as bikes, swimming lessons, and soccer uniforms, as well as provide basic needs like warm clothing, school supplies and bedding.”  You are making a big difference in our community. And, if you’ve ever had a hard time choosing where to donate your resources because there are so many worthwhile causes, you can rest assured in rounding up your purchases at the ReStore, your donation will serve a broad variety of needs in our community. Below is a breakdown of the 2020 ReStore Register Round Up Impacts.